Such A Fun Age

Written By Omma Ahmed
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Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Reviewed by Jess
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So I’m going to jump the gun to the end of the year already (because honestly 2020 so far has just been a fire in a ship sinking in the Thames) and let you all know that this is the best book I’ve read this year. Don’t wait till Christmas to get it. Read it now.⁣
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The story follows Emira, full-time babysitter to a wonderful quirky sweet child called Briar. On her way to a party her boss calls her to look after Briar in an emergency, and what happens that night, while she’s watching the child, changes her relationship with her employer and the world she’s in. ⁣
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Everything about this book just HIT RIGHT. The writing, the style, the story, the pace, the perspectives of each chapter, just absolutely timed to perfection. I think I inhaled this in a few hours. The interplay between Emira and Alix her boss, with the nods towards their power dynamic, makes for addictive reading, and it’s such an important commentary on being a woman, being a black woman, class and social standing, and even racial fetishisation in a relationship. ⁣
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Alix’s white privilege is painted with an exact brush, from the way she lives her gilded life at home to her gross attitude when she visits Emira’s neighbourhood, and I loved watching her little psycho twist unravel into chaos - in my opinion she deserved what she got, big time! ⁣
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I cannot recommend this enough! I’m so looking forward to what comes next for Kiley Reid - this book is perfection.

Omma Ahmed

I’ve always loved reading as a kid because it was one of the few Asian-mum approved hobbies although she would have preferred ‘less novels and more school books’! I also grew up in the Harry Potter era so that’s when I really remember falling in love with reading. (Big up my Y7 English teacher for reading a few pages of Philosophers stone at the end of every lesson! You were a real one Mr Williams!) I love being part of this book page (even though I slack massively due to lack of energy and concentration!) because sometimes it felt like a lifeline to help keep me sane. We started it during the time I was feeling really shitty about my Crohn’s disease. It’s been a tough 7 years and the last 3 have probably been the hardest especially mentally so when Linda suggested putting this page together, without hesitation I was down and I’m so proud of us! Writing reviews helped me to organise my thoughts and even resulted in me creating a second Instagram page (@AnOstomateForLife) about my Crohn’s journey. Yes that was a shameless plug and I’m not sorry! Along with reviews, I’ve also loved the creative side of things such as having input in our logo, creating our bookmark and taking book pictures even though it’s awkward af in public! So a few of my fave books: The Godfather by Mario Puzo (made me love the film even more! I’m a self-proclaimed movie buff too btw), Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Healy, The Harry Potter series (obviously), Jemima J by Jane Green, Moonlight over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan, Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple and We Should All Be Feminists Chimamanda Adichie.

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